There are a few myths that have been circulating for a long time and need to be cleared up once and for all.

1) If you use weights you will “bulk up”.

As women, we don’t have the high levels of testosterone that would be required to gain significant bulk, and we can never gain a lot of bulk without lifting well over our own body weight and putting in at least a few hours each day to strenuously train.  Most women who life weights using even moderate weight achieve a sleek, sculpted look.  Think Michelle Obama, not Arnold Schwarzenegger!

2) You can turn fat into muscle.

Fat and muscle are two different things.  Some people think that one turns to the other, like ice turning to water, or vice versa.  Frequently when you lose fat, you can see the muscle tone that was hiding underneath it.  But the fat isn’t turning into muscle any more than wood can turn into metal.

3) Fat weighs more than muscle.

A pound of fat weighs exactly the same amount as a pound of muscle.  The difference is that muscle is more compact – fat can take up to five times the space!  Two women can weigh exactly the same amount but be two different sizes depending on what those pounds are made up of.  A women with a higher percentage of body fat will be larger than another of the same weight who is more muscular.

4) If you focus exercise on one body area, you can “spot reduce”.

If you have heavy thighs, you can do leg lifts until the cows come home, but you will not be able to lose fat specifically in your thigh area.  Fat in your body is systemic, just like the blood that travels through your veins.  Fat can be lost through aerobic activity or by increasing your rate of calorie burn by building extra muscle.  But, while we can definitely lose fat, we can’t specify where the fat will come from.

5) Some people just don’t sweat.

Sweat is your body’s way of cooling down when it is heated by exercise.  If you aren’t working up a sweat, you need to work a little harder!  Upping your intensity can help make your workouts more effective.

6) I can’t exercise.

This is the worst myth of all.  If you believe that you can’t exercise and become fit and healthy, you sabotoge yourself before you even get started!  Your limiting thoughts will keep you from taking the first steps to become fit and well, ensuring that you stay convinced that a fit, healthy body is something you can never achieve.

Here’s where you take that inner critic and tell her to take a hike!  You can do anything.  Whether you chose to believe it or not, it will surely come true.

Take a look at the myths that you have bought into that aren’t working for you.  Are you stuck in an exercise rut that isn’t working because of beliefs you have about what it will take to get healthy?  Try a reality check on those beliefs.  Making some small changes to your routine can get you moving forward toward a healthy new you!!